Spin-off (June 19, 2009)

STEREO (Ahead) spacecraft watched closely as a solar prominence rose up and
spun-off above the Sun over a three-hour period (June 14, 2009). As observed
in the 304 Angstrom wavelength of extreme UV light, the gases in a prominence
became unstable and broke away from the Sun. Known for being fairly unstable,
prominences hover above the Sun, tethered by magnetic forces until some force
triggers their breaking away. At its peak, this prominence was over 25 Earths
above the Sun. Prominences like this one can be and often are observed by
amateur astronomers with solar telescopes.

SOHO began its Weekly Pick some time after
sending a weekly image or video clip to the American Museum of Natural
History (Rose Center) in New York City. There, the SOHO Weekly Pick is
displayed with some annotations on a large plasma display.

If your institution would also like to receive the same Weekly Pick from us
for display (usually in Photoshop or QuickTime format), please send
your inquiry to steele.hill@gsfc.nasa.gov.